Taking a divot

**Benhockeyplayer18** · 06-07-2006

I have been having trouble taking a divot. I usually pick it off clean, or hit it fat, any tips or drills?

**bdgiant** · 06-07-2006

Davis-Love III said when he was up and coming, he would paint a thin white stipe on the fairway (or short grass) and practice striking that line, taking a divot. Be careful not to fall into the habit making to much of a decending swing. Make sure you follow through.

It has helped me. Hope it helps you!

**amer1cangolfer** · 06-07-2006

Hit DOWN and THROUGH the ball. Your club should hit ball then ground. Don't try and lift the ball. If you can post your swing I think you could get some more specific advice. But the above is key. Keeping your weight a little more forward should help, but don't dip your knees or drop your shoulder on the downswing. That's where fat shots come from.

**ezra76** · 06-07-2006

When I'm at the range hitting irons off the grass I concentrate on 2 things concerning the point of impact. 1. is to maintain the shaft angle, I want my hands to pass over the ball first. 2. I want to have my weight shifting over from my right instep at impact. I always have a divot on a good shot. When I get these 2 things correct at impact the divot comes just after the strike.

**Wadeisabeast** · 06-07-2006

I have also had a similair problem lately, I have been taking huge divots. And I mean really big. I normally do make divots, but not that large. About a week ago I was playing at a par 3 I hadn't played in a while but I new my distances well. Everytime I was short and I was left wondering why. Then my friend told me to not hit down so much, and the results were much better.

A habbit of mine is to hit AT the ball instead of hitting THROUGH it. When I hit at it I swing to hard with bad tempo and bad results. When I slow down and hit throught it my tempo is much better and everything is good.

**emc** · 06-07-2006

The perfect divot is a dollar bill size. Take a few practice swings at this and then, over the shot, think about getting the divot just right and the ball will get in the way

**pfk167** · 06-08-2006

Originally Posted by emc

The perfect divot is a dollar bill size. Take a few practice swings at this and then, over the shot, think about getting the divot just right and the ball will get in the way

My divots usually look like i've just hit a racoon up the fairway...

**bdgiant** · 06-08-2006

Originally Posted by pfk167

My divots usually look like i've just hit a racoon up the fairway...

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

**QueenCityGolfer** · 06-09-2006

Two points:

1. I believe I take good divots. The only time I ever hit a shot thin with an iron is when I'm trying to play a cut and I don't execute it properly. I don't hit really fat shots anymore either. In my experience I've found that it is nearly impossible to always take a proper divot if you cannot really feel the weight of your clubhead through impact. A proper setup and staying is posture is essential, but feeling where the clubhead is at is as well.

2. I don't totally adhere to the dollar bill divot tip. When my divots are more elongated like that, it's usually because I kept my hands really low through impact and delayed my release, or because I played the ball back in my stance. In both instances I hit a lower flying shot. That's fine if you intend to hit such a shot, but I find that my best shots come when my divots are about cell phone size. These size divots feel better through impact, and produce shots with a higher and more playable trajectory. Not to mention these types of divots usually lead to shots that bite better on the green.

**AJW** · 06-10-2006

I went for some lesions at the start of the year the Pro told me I was sweeping the ball and he would get me hitting down on it and generating more height and length. He showed me the proper stance and got me standing closer to the ball with a straighter spine sure enough he was right I gained height and length. Recently I found my self sweeping again with the ball flight lower and my distance and dispersion was worse. Found out this afternoon that I had been standing about two inches further from the ball then instructed. I went back placing my hand palm up between my thigh and the top of the grip of the club to determine the proper distance instant results better shots and a divot had to work on keeping my spine straight as well though.

**Bomber** · 06-10-2006

The most important thing to taking a proper divot is keeping your lower body still and not reverse pivoting or sliding,

**ezra76** · 06-11-2006

I was showing my younger bro a few things yesterday in the back yard with a wiffle ball. (he has never played). I had him hit some 1/4 to 1/2 wedge shots first and finally got him to stop flipping his wrists and come through hands first. Then we moved up to a 7iron and I put a tee in front of the ball. I had him try to hit the ball and then take the tee out of the ground. He was looking pretty good. He'll need a lot of practice but he has a good shoulder turn and keeps his lower body planted even better than I do.

**Fitzpatrick** · 06-11-2006

The best tip I got that relates to taking divots was more a tip for hitting down on the ball. I can't remember exactly where I read it--it may have been Harvey Penick's book--but the tip was to picture a tee in the ground about an inch ahead of the ball. Try to hit through the ball as if you're trying to clip the head off the tee. I started doing this last year with already-broken tees at the grass mats and it worked wonders. The other thing that helped was swinging a heavy club. That tandem worked best for me. For the record, these days my divots resemble anything from a silver dollar to a beaver pelt.